Remember
by makayla-angelic
Summary: Six years have passed since Jack defeated Aku, saved the world, but lost Ashi. Jack still feels the pain, and in life searches for things to keep himself going. One day however, Jack and his parents come across a mysterious woman with nothing about her except her name. They take her under their care, and shocking events begin to unfold. Inspired by Toni Morrison's Beloved.
1. Six years

**Author's Note: This is my first Samurai Jack fanfic. Growing up as a little girl, I wasn't a big fan of this show when it aired on Cartoon Network. I liked it, but I only caught it on certain times of the day and sometimes at night. I was a Code Lyoko fan. Now, I feel kind of bad for not getting into this show more seriously. I watched season 5, and now I can't imagine a life without some Samurai jack in my life. I was heartbroken that Ashi disappeared, but in the end, I knew it happened for a reason, and without Ashi, Jack wouldn't have made it home. But like many people, I/we dream of a happy ending where Ashi could have survived, and there even have been theories to back up that Ashi could still exist somehow/be in the afterlife because time travel does not affect the soul. One can only wonder. Well, let me stop rambling on, and get to this story.**

When a tree goes through seasons of change, is it still the same tree? If a river comes upon a dam and stops, can it still be called a river? Things change within us,

mentally and physically, but can we truly call ourselves the same person afterwards? What does it truly mean to change? What does it mean, to fully understand from

yesterday, and look ahead to tomorrow?

* * *

Jack had thought these things to himself a lot. And within the time since Ashi disappeared, they lingered still. Maybe he still hadn't found the peace as he thought.

Peace of mind, but the heart always remembers, it always feels, everything. Jack may have gotten back to the past, but was it really the past? That is why he had

thought so hard about these questions. Oh, yes, everything was different. Some days, Jack felt okay, other days, he struggled to keep moving. He searched, even it

was the smallest of things; of happiness in each of every day. And it was there. Jack couldn't remember when it began, but nonetheless he was happy for it. A single,

red, ladybug, like the one that visited him during his revelation under the red maple tree, sat in the garden on a patch of white flowers, and every time Jack visited

the garden, the ladybug was there. He had no doubt in his mind that the ladybug was divine. Nearly every morning, for the past six years, Jack had sat in the garden,

and the ladybug was there. Although the insect couldn't speak, Jack would get close, and talk to the ladybug, no matter how crazy it seemed. But anyway, who could

judge him too much? He had spent fifty years in a future that drove him mad. Six years. Almost seven. The first year had been the hardest. It always was when you

lost someone. Happy and sad at the same time, Jack laughed and smiled, but eyes showed the weight of the world. And then the ladybug showed up, and things got

better. When the second year came, Jack felt proud with how he had been dealing with himself. And then the years went by, and six years had passed. How was he

going to feel when the ten- year mark arrived? Where on Earth was Jack's life going?

"Enjoying the morning well, my son?"

Jack turned to see the smiling face of his mother walking towards him in the sunlight. Seeing his parents always brought Jack some comfort, no matter how down he

was feeling.

"Yes, Mother, this new day does fare me well," said Jack.

It was nearly summer, it would be in a couple of weeks. Jack could feel the intense heat in the afternoon, see the immense insects flying and buzzing through the air

when he visited the garden and the woods, when it rained, the humidity and the drops of water that lay on the foliage, making the plants sparkle like diamonds when

the sun reflected off the droplets. Nature was indeed a beautiful place. He had just wished he could have spent it with the one person who loved and cherished it as

much as he did. Jack knew that once the summer officially came, and the day of when, it happened arrived, he would go take a ride up to the hill and visit the tree.

He hadn't visited it for a long time.

"Are you okay?" Jack's Mother asked.

"Yes, I am alright, just enjoying the day," said jack with a smile.

Jack had noticed some time ago that his mother asked him if he was okay a lot more frequently since his return from the future, and after losing Ashi. His father had

constantly worried about his mental health as well, he had even brought in a doctor once after the tragedy because he was very worried that Jack would cause harm

to himself due to his fragile and depressed mind. But he didn't.

"It's such a beautiful day out," said the Empress. "Day's like these are perfect for picnics."

"That it is," said Jack. "Perhaps we could go on one someday."

"It'd be nice," said the Empress.

Jack looked up to his ladybug friend crawling up farther the white petals of the flower. It seemed to be agreeing that going for a picnic would be a wonderful idea.

Jack didn't know if the ladybug could really understand him or not, but he was just thankful that it, or she was there.

* * *

After visiting the garden, and having a talk with his ladybug friend, sometimes Jack would go and practice his fighting skills with his father. He would do it to relieve

frustration and get things off his mind, and other times he did just because he wanted to spend time with his father.

"Good morning my son, the weather is quite nice," said the Emperor.

"Yes, that's what Mother and I were just talking about," said Jack as he picked up his sword and examined it.

"So much time has passed, I can't believe it is almost summer already," said the Emperor, as he too picked up his sword.

"Yes," said jack shaking head slowly.

"Well, hopefully time will slow down enough so we can prepare and have enough time to get comfortable within the seasons change. Somedays it feels like Spring

just arrived and then suddenly it's time for fall," said the Emperor.

Jack and his father had their duel, then they rested and drank water to cool down. Then they dueled some more and then finally stopped. After the dueling session,

Jack would go take a ride on his horse.

His animal friend enjoyed the walks and talks almost as much as Jack did. Jack was even sure his animal friend could even understand how he was feeling to a certain

degree. When Jack rode away alone, a couple days after the tragedy, the horse looked and seemed as low-spirited as he did. When Jack entered the stables, his

friend gave a soft whinny of happiness as he entered the stables. Reaching into his pocket, he produced two sugar cubes and let the horse gently take them from his

hand with his mouth.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked as he ran his hand down the horse's mane.

The horse gently nudged Jack with his face and Jack put his arm around the horse's head and held him close. After getting ready, they headed out. Jack walked

through the meadow where he was greeted by the smell of flowers, and not too far away, the smell of the cherry blossoms that were still left on the tree's. On the

outskirts of the woods there were a couple wild crab apple trees and Jack rode by slowly near there, picking the small, green, sour tasting fruits and eating them as

he rode. Nature looked all the same, for the past six years, almost seven that he had been home, nothing nature wise seemed to have changed that much, except for

him of course. As it should be. Jack would never have to worry about Aku again. But if another evil fared itself, Jack would be ready. He hoped if trouble did ever

show up one day, it wouldn't be as awful and horrendous as the reign of Aku. Butterflies flew around Jack, reminding him of the hope that had prevailed, just as the

ladybug did. Jack didn't like to think about it at time, but he would have died in the future, without the hope and the love of Ashi. Jack didn't know for sure how the

future would be without him, but he was sure they would never suffer as bad as they did ever again. Jack rode for a while, then headed back home.

* * *

Later that night at dinner, Jack's parents were talking economic affairs, documents, and otherworldly things when Jack brought up the idea his mother mentioned

earlier.

"Father, Mother brought up a great idea that we haven't done in a long time," said Jack.

"What's that, my son?" the Emperor replied.

"We should go on a picnic, the weather is warm and beautiful," said Jack.

"Yes," said the Empress. "What do you think?" she turned to her husband.

The Emperor slowly rubbed his face. "I think a picnic sounds like a great idea. We'll go tomorrow."

"Really? How wonderful!" said the Empress. She was happy.

"We can pack our favorite snacks, bring some sandwiches, and we can sit by the river," said Jack. "It'll be perfect."

Although the day was hot, the night was cool and the sound of crickets chirping eased Jack's mind as he sat in bed reading a book. He was eager for tomorrow, ready

for what the day had in store, and he was happy to be sharing it with his parents. But what Jack didn't know, is that soon, things were going to change. An event was

going to come into his life he never imagined possible.


	2. A Mysterious Woman

They were up the next morning, quick to get ready and make sure they all they needed. The cooks had packed everything into a tight basket and had it ready. The

morning was crisp and clear, the promise of another beautiful day. Already, nature was alive and buzzing, and Jack had said good morning to his ladybug friend. At

ten in the morning they were ready, and Jack and his parents headed out in the carriage.

* * *

"It's good to be out," said jack's mother breathing deep.

"Indeed it is," said the Emperor.

They took the trail deep into the woods, towards the place where they would picnic at. The sun shone above the branches of the trees, creating slivers of golden

sunlight that lightened the ground, other trees and the carriage in which they were riding in. The deep smell of the coming summer and the rich smell of dirt, flowers,

and other foliage lingered in the air.

* * *

They arrived at the river, and took everything out of the basket. Jack laid down the blanket and set up the plates and other utensils, then stood for a moment

admiring everything. He turned toward the river to watch the flowing, clear, water moving down along the bank. He took off his sandals and dipped one foot in the

water, and it was refreshing. Careful not to slip on the rocks, Jack stepped into the water, allowing the water to move up past his ankles and wet the hem of his gi.

"Come in the water Mother and Father, it feels quite refreshing," said Jack.

"Is it cold?" asked the Empress.

"No, quite warm," said Jack. "Come on in!"

The Empress and Emperor looked at each other and smiled. What did they have to lose? They got up from the blanket and slowly removed their shoes. They slowly

walked up to the river bank and put their feet in the water.

"Oh my, that does feel nice," said the Empress.

"I have to agree myself," said the Emperor.

They stood and waded in the water and enjoyed the refreshing sensation of the moving river. Jack splashed his father, and his father splashed him back and soon the

three of them were laughing, having fun, enjoying their little water fight. At last they exited the water, soaking wet and laughing. They hadn't brought towels because

they hadn't expected to get wet. They moved towards the sun in hopes they would dry quicker. A light breeze picked up as well. Wet from the water, they sat back

and enjoyed the food they had brought with them. The smell and the sight of the food attracted animals, and Jack found himself tossing bits of bread to the birds and

other little creatures that were curious for a bite of their picnic. They finished their food and drank tea and ate cookies. They walked a little bit away from where they

camped to explore the woods. Jack picked flowers and gave them to his mother. Up above, birds in their nest mingled amongst each other happily, grateful for the

beautiful days bestowed upon them. They headed back to the river where they waded again for a little bit, and then packed up to head back home. It had been a

wonderful picnic, it had been good to get out, and Jack and his parents were grateful for it.

* * *

They talked and laughed on the way back, reminiscing about their water fight in the river. The driver was a little tired as he held the reigns and slowly drove them

back home. The heat of the summer day and the food from the picnic made him feel like he could use a nap. The driver could hear Jack and his parents talking and

laughing, and the driver reminded himself that he should pay a visit to his family someday as well. Slowly, he thought these things to himself, when suddenly

something caught his eye. To the right, near a tree, he saw a figure lying on the ground.

"What's that?" he said aloud.

"What is what?" the Emperor asked, peeking his head out the window.

"There's something over there against that tree… it looks like a person!" exclaimed the driver.

"A person?" the Empress said with a voice of shock.

"Stop the carriage," said the Emperor.

The carriage came to a stop and the four of them all got out. The Emperor in lead, they all followed slowly to the person lying next to the tree. As they got closer,

they could see it was a young woman, dirty and clothes in disarray, lying in fetal position under the tree. Jack saw the woman, and then he had a flashback. The

horrible memories from the time he spent in the future, the burning, the loss, the suffering, the devastation, people dying, him going mad, all of it, so much of it all

at once that Jack squeezed his eyes shut to block it out. Why did he suddenly feel so strange? The Empress kneeled down next to the young woman who had her

eyes closed and appeared to be sleeping.

"Miss, are you alright?" the Empress asked.

The young woman opened her eyes, sat up, and looked as if she had never seen humans before. Her startled, scared, disarray look also reminded Jack of his

sufferings. What was happening to him?

"Don't be afraid, everything's going to be alright," said the Empress. She placed her hands on the woman's shoulders.

"What happened to you? How did you get like this?" she asked.

The young woman looked at the Empress as though she couldn't understand the question. The Empress looked back up at the Emperor, Jack, and the driver who

stood there not knowing what to think or do.

"Shock?" the Emperor ventured to say.

"Maybe," said the Empress.

"Hungry," said the woman, in a small, weak, voice.

"You're hungry?" said the Empress. She turned to look at the Emperor. "Is there any food left in the picnic basket?"

"There should be some cookies left," said the Emperor.

"I'll get the basket," said the driver. He reached inside and took it out and then handed it to the Empress. She opened the basket and took out a cookie and gave it to

the woman, who stuffed it into her mouth with a single bite, crumbs spilling down her chin as she chewed, and swallowed. Then the woman held out her hand for

another cookie and the Empress promptly handed her another, and the woman proceeded to stuff that cookie into her mouth, chew it and swallow it, all in one bite.

Jack was amazed and curious. Over and over the young woman did this, and when she held her hand out a fourth time, the Empress looked in the basket and said,

"there's no more."

The woman sat there, looking tired and disorientated.

"We should get her out of here," said the Emperor. "Out the heat and into cool shelter."

"Right," said the Empress, wrapping her arms around the woman. "Help me."

Jack and the Emperor walked up to help the Empress pick up the young woman from the ground. As they did, the young woman reached up and wrapped her arms

around Jack's shoulders, clinging to his neck. Surprised, Jack couldn't say a word, neither could the Empress, Emperor, or driver. They carefully carried the woman

into the carriage, and off they headed home to the palace. What a strange twist of a day it had been!

The servants watched wondrously and curiously as Jack and his parents carried their new guest inside. The young woman still clung to Jack, much to his wonder. The

Empress told some servants to bring a chair, and they sat the woman down in it.

"I'm thirsty," said the woman, for she had eaten so many cookies.

The servants brought water, and they all watched as the woman gulped glass after glass of it.

"Poor girl, must have not had a proper meal or water for days," said the Empress looking concerned.

"I wonder where she's from," said the Emperor.

"What's your name?" Jack asked the woman.

The woman looked up and took a deep breath, as though it would take a great effort to say the words out of her mouth.

"My name… is… Keiko," said Keiko, forming the words slowly and carefully.

"Keiko? That's a pretty name," said the Empress with a smile.

Jack looked at Keiko and thought the name suited her well.

"I'm sure you must be very tired Keiko after your ordeal. Let's get you to bed to rest up, and perhaps later if you're up to it you can tell us what's going on," said the

Empress.

Keiko nodded and stood up, the Empress, Emperor, and Jack rushed to her to help her, but Keiko appeared to walk well on her own. They led her to a room and

helped her into a bed, where she fell asleep quickly. The woman was tired. Jack felt sorry for her. He wondered what could have happened to her to be in such a

state. He knew that perhaps in time, she would recover and tell. They let Keiko sleep, and then they went on to their afternoon duties. The servants talked amongst

themselves, curious about their new guest. Evening came, dinner was ready, and Keiko was hungry. She ate well although she still looked incredibly tired, and even

had a big helping of seconds. After she ate, she fell back down into a deep sleep. At bedtime, they all went to sleep, wondering about the new girl. What a day it had

been, thought Jack. He and his family went on a picnic, and then they come home with a mysterious woman who appeared to be in somewhat a state of trauma and

shock. But Jack was still uneasy on why he had had such an intense flashback as he did earlier today upon seeing the woman. It was almost as though she had

triggered the memory. But Jack knew that couldn't be possible. Anyway, he was tired, and rest always made his mind feel better in the morning. Turning over, Jack

went to sleep.


	3. Settled In

It was raining heavily the next day. Buckets of downpour, and the dark cloudy grey sky that covered everything. Well, it was bound to rain sometime, thought Jack.

Sunny, shiny, days didn't last forever. The rain relaxed him and made him want to stay in bed all day, but he knew he must get up. As Jack stretched, the events of

yesterday all came back to him. The picnic, finding Keiko. Jack wondered if the woman was faring well since yesterday. Jack got dressed and exited his room, ready to

start the day. He headed down the hall towards the stairs, so that he could go downstairs and get his breakfast, when the sound of footsteps made him turn around.

He saw Keiko, all clean and dressed in a gray kimono with a matching obi. She looked better than yesterday, not so tired anymore, give or take some slight lines

under her eyes.

"Oh, good morning," said Jack. "I'm guessing you are feeling much better than yesterday?"

Keiko nodded. "Yes, quite better," she said. She smiled.

"Are you hungry?" asked Jack. "There's breakfast waiting." Jack held out his hand as if to lead the way, but Keiko walked forward and grabbed Jack's hand, pulling

him down the stairs. Jack was astonished and surprised at the woman's bold affection. First the clinging on to him, now this. Together, with her playing follow the

leader, they headed down, with her pulling him towards the dining room.

 _How does she know where she's going?_ Thought Jack to himself. When they entered the dining room, they got the surprised looks of Jack's parents and some of the

servants.

"Good morning," said Jack, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Well," said the Emperor putting his cup down. "Good morning. How are you?"

"Very well," said Jack.

"And how are you, Keiko?" the Emperor asked.

"Good," she said. "It's raining out."

"Yes, yes Indeed it is," said the Emperor.

"Heavy rain," said the Empress. "Not the pretty day we had yesterday."

They sat down to eat, listening to the rain as they did, the sound soothing them. Keiko ate well, she was able to use the utensils without much struggle, with the

occasional dribble of water and crumbs of food. She watched Jack while he was eating and was very fond of him.

After they ate, they talked. The Empress asked the question she asked yesterday.

"Where are you from?" she asked Keiko.

Instead of no answer, this time, Keiko said, "I don't know," as she ran a finger around and around the rim of her cup. "No memory."

 _Amnesia,_ thought Jack.

"You must have a home, family, you cannot remember where they are?" asked the Emperor.

"What's the last thing you remember? Did you fall and hit your head?" the Empress asked, having the same idea as Jack.

Keiko shook her head no slowly.

"I remember everything, and nothing," said Keiko.

That puzzled all of them. How could someone remember everything and nothing at the same time? It didn't make any sense.

"Nothing," said Keiko. "Nothing at all." She lowered her head and her eyes filled with tears.

The Empress placed her hand on her back.

"It'll be alright, dear," she said. "We'll take care of you."

Keiko sniffed, and wiped the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hands.

"Well, nothing much to do today," said the Emperor looking out the window. "Other than looking over documents and whatnot."

"My son, why don't you show Keiko around, maybe show her the library?" the Empress asked.

"Yes Mother, that sounds like a great idea," said Jack. He stood up and offered his arm to Keiko. "Would you like to go take a look around?"

"Yes," said Keiko, gladly placing her arm around Jack's, then they headed off.

* * *

Jack showed her the library, all the artifacts and decorations they had in there, and where they had gotten them from. Keiko loved to examine and hold it in her

hands, to see how pretty it was. Then Jack showed her some books he liked to read.

"This one's my favorite," said Jack, pulling out a book that had a blue bound cover and giving it to Keiko to look at it. "It's a story of a man who goes on a great, life-

changing adventure."

"Why is it your favorite?" Keiko asked slowly.

"Many reasons," said Jack with a sigh. "Some of it more believable than the rest."

"I like stories," said Keiko. "Tell me a story."

"A story?" said Jack, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know what kind of stories to tell." Then he had an idea. "I got one, are you ready?"

Keiko nodded her head yes.

"Many years ago, when I was a little boy, my Mother and Father sent me on a ship, across the world, to go train with many great teachers," Jack began.

Jack told her the story of her of his training, from age eight to age twenty-two. He explained in deep detail about his teachers, and what he learned, such as

astronomy, pole-fighting, archery, ninjutsu, and so on, including his mischief in Egypt, and the amazing time he had in Africa. Keiko listened with wide-eyed wonder,

and Jack talked well, remembering everything. When Jack finished his story, he didn't realize how long he had talked. It was afternoon, and almost time for lunch.

"Oh my, time has passed!" Jack said, looking at the clock. "Time moves quickly when you are in good company."

"I liked the story, thank you," said Keiko.

"You're welcome," said Jack with a smile.

The rain was still coming down strongly as Jack and Keiko left the library. They walked around the castle and Jack showed her other rooms they had when company

came, old rooms they didn't use anymore other than storage, pictures on the wall that showed family members; including ones that were still living, and others that

had passed away. He showed her the balcony where he loved to sit and gaze at when he was a little boy, feeling so high up that he could nearly touch the clouds.

Once the tour of inside the castle was complete, it was time for lunch. They ate red rice.

"How did the tour go?" the Empress asked Keiko.

"I liked it very much," said Keiko. "Jack told me a story."

"Did he now? What story did you tell her Jack?" the Empress asked.

"I just told her the story of how I trained around the world, saw many people, made many friends, learned many things," said Jack.

"I see," said the Emperor. "Well, that was a wonderful idea of you to tell the story to Keiko."

They continued to eat, enjoying the food that was in front of them, and Keiko stared at Jack as he ate. Jack noticed her staring, and he put his chopsticks down.

"Is something wrong Keiko?" Jack asked.

"No," said Keiko smiling.

"You are staring at me," said Jack.

"Yes," said Keiko, still smiling.

Jack felt a little uncomfortable, but went back to eating. The Empress and the Emperor didn't know what to think either. Whoever Keiko was, where she came from,

and what had happened to her was indeed a mystery, her behavior was a bit off, but perhaps that wasn't her fault, some people go through a bad experience, and

come out different mentally, until they can heal. Jack knew that one for sure. Whether that was Keiko's case or not, he still felt sorry for anyone who had suffered the

way he did, and as, well, Ashi did.

* * *

All the rest of that long, rainy day, they relaxed. Keiko sat near the window and just watched the rain drip down, her legs pulled up in the chair up to her knees, just

watching. Jack read a book, and his parents were busy in the study doing royal duties. At long last, night came, they had dinner. Jack was headed to his room to go

to bed, when his father called him to his room.

"Is something wrong, Mother and Father?" Jack asked.

"Not particularly," said the Emperor sitting down. "Have a seat."

So Jack sat down, with his parents sitting across from him.

"Let's talk about Keiko," said the Emperor. "We need to know who she is."

"Indeed, she is a mysterious young woman," said Jack. "But I'm afraid that since she has no memory, we may not know."

"Something had to have happened," said the Empress. "Most people usually end up in such a state unless they've been through a great deal."

"I agree," said the Emperor. "And in some cases, they never recover the memory of what happened."

"Well, remember the clothes she had on when we first saw her? They looked like villager's clothes. Do you think she could have come from the village?" Jack asked.

"Maybe," said the Empress.

"I think it's a very strong possibility," said the Emperor. "I heard some rumors today from some of the servants that there was a woman held captive somewhere for

years who finally escaped some days ago."

"You did?" asked Jack.

"Yes," said the Emperor. "Escaped for about a week now."

"Do you think it could be Keiko that's the escaped girl?" asked the Empress.

"It's very possible," said the Emperor.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, but how can we truly prove Keiko is the escaped woman if she does not remember a thing?" asked Empress.

"She could have fought her captor to escape, became injured in the process, and then lost her way in the woods," said Jack.

"But forgetting where you live, and who your family is?" the Emperor replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"I've seen worse," said Jack, lowering his head.

"Could it also be possible that there could be another escaped woman out there, that just coincidentally became free the same time we found Keiko?" asked the

Emperor.

"That sounds a bit far-fetched," said the Empress.

"You're right," said the Emperor. "But there's got to be an explanation."

"I think, there could be another theory behind her memory loss," said the Empress.

"Why do you say that?" asked Jack.

"We heard a _rumor_ of an escaped young woman from a faraway place, but what if it's possible that Keiko cannot remember where she came from, because she made

it all up," said the Empress. "People do make up stories to cover running away from home."

"But how could we prove that theory?" asked the Emperor. "We don't have anything to back that up. What if the girl truly is an escaped woman?"

They all sighed. They didn't know what to think.

"What do we do?" asked Jack.

"I don't know," said the Emperor. "But perhaps we should continue to take care of her, and see what happens. I mean, we can't go jumping to conclusions, no matter

how well put together it seems."

"If only we could figure out where she came from, her family home that is." said the Empress. "Did she come from here, or another place far away from here?"

"That's something we need to think about," said the Emperor. "Let's go to bed for now."

And into bed they went, ready to rest their minds.

Up in the heavens, three deities named Odin, Ra, and Vishnu sat observing the Earth below.

"It seems that young Ashi has made her way back to Jack and his family," said Odin.

"Using the body of a young woman who we finally helped to escape free," said Ra.

"Unless Ashi can quickly make herself known to Jack and his family who she really is, everyone will soon become suspicious of who the woman is," said Vishnu.

"Perhaps we can change things up a bit," said Odin.

The image below their feet shifted, to the palace and kingdom sleeping.

"To them, she's just a runaway, escaped from her kidnapper, an experience so traumatic, she can't remember a thing, and the royal family has taken her in," said

Odin. "Just like the Empress guessed. No suspicions at all."

And with that, those words became true. Everyone would know, Keiko was just a runaway woman they found in the woods, suffering from amnesia from her

traumatic experience.

 **Author's note: This was a struggle to write. Originally, I had planned for "Keiko" to just be a missing woman who supposedly wandered off in the**

 **woods and got lost due to her learning disability. Then I struggled to find a way around the obvious situation of suspicion in the castle with the news**

 **of a "missing woman" and so I had the gods come in and change things up a bit. I went to bed, and then the next morning as I was typing, I thought**

 **of another twist. I felt like it would be easier to write the woman off as a learning-disabled woman who was kidnapped from her family years ago,**

 **and held captive for God knows what, her destiny came into play and she finally managed to escape, but was injured in the process. The gods**

 **removing everyone's suspicion about the woman I feel like it would make things easier to move along in the story. Honestly, I don't even know what**

 **the heck I'm writing. I just hope this story works, I'm frustrated. But I did it, at least I think I did. Please, if there's ANY other way you could have**

 **seen this chapter to go to flow into the story or if I am missing something, let me know. And extra hugs and thanks to d-clarence, you helped me get**

 **the gears turning! On another thing, even though you all as the readers know who Keiko really is, Jack and his family still have no clue, so I will still**

 **refer to her as Keiko, until the big reveal chapter, at least with Jack that is. (Another plot twist coming soon)….**


	4. Stories And Bonding

The next day the rain was gone, it was once again the day was bright and sunny. The rain from yesterday still lingered on the ground, houses, and other foliage. It

looked to be another beautiful day, and already the heat was rising. Jack got up a bit early as usual and got dressed and headed to the garden. He walked out back

and headed to his usual spot where he normally sat near the flowers. But when Jack got there, he stopped suddenly. The ladybug was not there. Where could it be?

Thought Jack. It was always here, every day. Jack hoped that whatever happened to it, or her, it or her would come back. Jack quietly headed back inside, to start his

day, on a different track.

* * *

His parents soon came downstairs, with Keiko following behind them. Instead of being loosely tied back like it was the past two days, her hair was put up into a bun,

similar to how his mother wore hers. The sunny day was already doing them well by the looks on their faces.

"Good morning, my son," said the Emperor. "How's your little ladybug friend this morning?"

"it wasn't there," said Jack plainly.

"Ladybug?" asked Keiko.

"Really? That's a bit unusual," said the Empress. "It's usually always there."

"Maybe it got washed away in the storm," suggested the Emperor. "It did rain quite heavily all yesterday."

"I don't know," said Jack. "Maybe."

And for some reason, Jack had this strange feeling that the ladybug wouldn't be back.

Later after breakfast, Jack took Keiko out to the stables to show her his horse. Keiko was delighted to see the horse, she smiled when he nuzzled her chest as she

smoothed and brushed his soft mane.

"What is his name?" Keiko asked.

"His name is Hiroto," said Jack, as he too, brushed the horse's soft mane.

"What a nice name," said Keiko.

"Would you like to ride him?" asked Jack.

"Yes, please!" said Keiko, and Jack carefully helped Keiko onto the horse's back.

"Hold on now," said Jack, and slowly, the horse began to trot.

"This feels nice!" said Keiko.

"You got it!" said Jack, watching as Keiko slowly went around the stable and around again on Hiroto's back.

Despite his ladybug friend not being here, Jack didn't feel too upset. Even though he still had a lot more to learn and understand about Keiko, he was happy for the

pleasant, unexpected company. It had been so long since he had been in the company of a woman, and now that Keiko was here, it felt almost natural. Like a long-

lost friend kind of feeling. After Keiko had her ride on Hiroto, Jack took a turn on the horse. Jack, who was the experienced rider, galloped quickly across the field, and

over obstacles, while Keiko stood amazed, and watched. Afterwards, Keiko had another turn on the horse, then they led him back to the stables and gave the horse

some water, some hay, and some sugar cubes.

"In the fall I give him apples and other fruit," said Jack. "Sometimes apples over the summer but they aren't as sweet and ripe as they are in the fall, you know."

Keiko nodded. "I like sweet things," she replied. "Cookies, cake, candy, anything sweet."

Jack smiled. "Me too,"

"Tell me the story of this horse," said Keiko. "I mean, when did you get this horse?"

"After I had come home from my training, my Father had got me a horse to use so that when battle came, I could be ready to travel," said Jack. "This horse has been

my friend ever since I came home from training."

"Have you ever been in battle before?" Keiko asked.

"Yes, many times," said Jack. And suddenly, another awful flashback hit him, the time of when he was a little boy and seeing all the death and destruction of Aku. Jack closed his eyes.

"Are you okay?" asked Keiko, reaching out to him.

"Yes," said Jack, reopening his eyes. "Just a bad thought."

"I get bad thoughts too," said Keiko. "And then, sometimes I forget them."

Jack looked at her with a sad smile on his face. "Sometimes I wish I could forget everything too," he said. "All the bad thoughts of course."

Keiko nodded, then she looked sad. "I wish I could remember where I came from."

"You went through a terrible experience," said Jack. "Your memories will come through, in due time, when things heal."

"I just remember a place, somewhat dark, and I was floating," said Keiko.

"Floating?" said Jack, confused.

"Yes," said Keiko. "I couldn't feel anything, yet I had a need to move, so I moved, and then I saw people."

"Who were these people? Did you know them?" Jack asked, puzzled about her story.

Keiko shook her head no. Jack and Keiko headed inside, after feeding Hiroto. Jack was puzzled by Keiko's strange description of a place and people. A place where she

was floating, nothing around her, she couldn't feel anything, yet there were people there. Was Keiko talking about the spirit realm? Jack had heard stories of people

experiencing death and going to the spirit realm and coming back, but was that Keiko's case, or was her mind trying to formulate up a memory of her traumatic

experience? To Jack, that made her even more mysterious.

The next day, Jack asked his parents what they thought.

"It definitely is strange," said the Emperor. "But you're right, maybe the girl's mind is trying its best to recover and in the process is getting one memory after another

mixed up."

"I can't imagine how hard it would have been had she been left all alone," said the Empress.

"Terrible," said Jack.

"Well, we can't keep focusing on the bad," said the Emperor. "It'll just keep wearing us down."

"A good statement," said the Empress, looking out the window. "These last few days have just been so pretty."

"Yes they have," said the Emperor. "Which makes me have an idea."

"What's that?" asked Jack.

"Why don't we go down to the oceanfront tomorrow and go catch some fish to have the cooks fix up for dinner?" the Emperor asked.

"Sounds like a great idea," said the Empress. "I could go for some good steamed pike, flounder, or snapper."

"Let's do it," said Jack. "We go down to the ocean tomorrow, and catch fish."

* * *

They headed out the following day, after breakfast on their way to the oceanfront. The sky was blue, with a few clouds here and there, but no sign of rain. There was

a slight wind but the day was quickly heating up and the breeze felt good. Keiko was excited as she got into the carriage. She had never gone fishing before. Keiko

sat in the middle of Jack and the Empress, and the Emperor sitting directly across from her. They were all smiling, for they were all happy. It took them an hour and a

half to reach the ocean front. When they arrived, they got everything set up, nets on rope, bait, and the snacks they had packed. Keiko found seashells she found

pretty and collected them for her, Jack, and his parents. The water was nice and cool and Jack and Keiko stood near the shore letting the waves crash over there feet

and ankles. Then, they headed out to the fishing area near the rocks. It took a while, either the fish weren't hungry or there just weren't many around that day, but it

took a while. They sat with their feet in the water, waiting patiently. Finally, when the Empress pulled up the line, there was a fish on it. They carefully put it in the

basket that had ice. The next person to get a fish was Keiko, and she laughed excitedly as they all helped her pull it out of the water and off the line. It was a big

flounder fish. Then, they checked the baskets they had filled with bait and there were crabs in them.

"I can swim, look!" said Keiko to them, and with that, she jumped into the water, appeared at the surface a few seconds later and swam around in the water to show

them. Jack decided to take a dip in the water as well, but the Empress and Emperor said they would rather to sit quietly this time. After Keiko and Jack swim for a

little bit, they went back to fishing. At long last, the afternoon was over, they had caught enough fish and crab, and it was time to go home and change into dry

clothes and prepare for dinner.

It was great tasting fish. The Emperor said it was the best he had in a long time.

"We should have this more often," said the Emperor scraping his bowl.

"I'm stuffed," said the Empress.

Jack and Keiko had eaten most of the share of crabs and were on their third piece of fish. After they ate, they all prepared for bed. Jack decided to do a little bit of

reading before he went to bed, and he headed to the library. There, to his surprise, he found Keiko there, sitting in a chair, reading.

"I see you've made yourself comfortable with the books here," said Jack.

"Yes," said Keiko. "It's amazing how writers can paint pictures with words." She turned the page of the book she was reading, then read aloud a sentence.

"And then the sun rose up plainly from behind the clouds, its rich, golden and amber rays casting a blanket of warmth and comfort over the people that stood before

it," read Keiko. "That sounds nice. I would love to see a sunrise."

"How about tomorrow morning, I'll wake you up early, and we can go watch it rise together?" asked Jack.

"Yes please," said Keiko.

"Good," said Jack. "I'll see you very early tomorrow morning."

So, Jack woke up the following morning very early. There was no light at all, except for a few strips of light in the distance, signaling that the morning sun was soon

to come. Jack entered Keiko's room and gently shook her awake.

"Ready to see the sunrise?" Jack asked.

"Yes," said Keiko quietly with a smile.

The two of them walked out and down the hallway together, and up towards the main balcony where Jack had stood out so many times. They stood side by side,

enjoying the fresh air.

"This is a best spot," said Jack. "One of them at least." He thought about the tree.

Slowly the sun began to appear, a shining ball of orange, slowly changing to a bright golden yellow the farther up it went along the horizon. The sky lined with deep

red, orange, then yellow, as the sun continued to move its way up. At long last, the light reached over to Jack and Keiko and casted the warm glow over them, and

they seemed to feel it right down to their very core.

It was just like in the book, thought Keiko. She would never get tired of a sunset.

"It's very beautiful isn't it?" Jack asked Keiko.

"Yes," said Keiko, turning to look at him.

At that moment, Jack found her very stunning. Of course, Keiko was beautiful, but at this moment, Jack found her unbelievably beautiful. She was shining with the

sun, her long hair blowing out with the wind, a bright smile on her face.

Get it together, thought Jack. The woman had only been here for a few days. But yet it felt so natural, and again, Jack hadn't been in such nice company of a woman

close to his age in so long. But it was kind of scary, to see that he could get attracted so fast, and to him, it still felt so soon after Ashi had disappeared. But Jack was

happy, he had brought peace to the land, the world, and the people, and as long as he remembered what he had done, he felt some happiness.

"Are you okay?" asked Keiko, seeing that Jack had gotten lost in his own thoughts.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," said Jack. "Just had a thought."

"Bad ones?" asked Keiko.

"No, no, these are good thoughts," said Jack reassuringly.

"Okay," said Keiko.

The birds began to sings their songs, and the insects began to be on the move.


	5. Reveal

Two weeks passed since Keiko came to stay with Jack and his family. Summer was here, the days were hot, but beautiful, and it was a pleasure to sit outside and

enjoy nature's bounty, whether by yourself, or with someone else. Every day, for the past two weeks, Jack and Keiko had spent time together. Whether it was reading

books, walking through the woods, riding Hiroto, or just simply telling stories, which Jack found himself telling more and more. And Keiko enjoyed all of them, soaking

them in like a plant in the sun, always telling Jack how grateful she was to hear the stories, even some of the ones that were particularly sad. Jack had yet to tell her

the story of Ashi, and his battle with Aku and adventures in the future. Jack didn't know if he _would_ tell her. The woman had obvious amnesia, but was it possible that

she could have forgotten about the wrath of Aku? Probably not. How could _anyone_ ever forget the wrath of Aku? But Jack and his parents were the only ones that

knew of his adventures in the future. Oh well, perhaps he would tell her one day. After all, Keiko had no place to go, she was part of the family now.

* * *

One day, they all decided to go berry picking. The wild blueberries and blackberries were ripe, and they wanted to pick them before all the animals got them. They

headed into the woods and went to bushes where they were located. Already, the animals and birds had gotten a head start, but luckily, there were plenty of berries

deep in the back and towards the bottom. The sun was high overhead, and they wiped sweat from their faces as they picked. Sometimes they ate as they picked, but

Keiko ate more berries the most than anyone else, and the Empress jokingly scolded her for eating more berries than she picked. They filled their buckets with as

much as they could, and there was still plenty enough left for the animals. That night after dinner, they had fresh blackberries and blueberries. A few days later, the

Empress was walking down the hall, when she heard a noise coming from Jack's room as she walked past it. She stopped, then walked backward. Upon looking into

Jack's room, she saw Keiko in there, and she was holding the old wedding dress that Ashi once wore.

"What are you doing in Jack's room, and how did you find that?" the Empress asked, ignoring the fact that she had just called Jack by the nickname he had in the

future.

"I just found the dress," said Keiko, holding it up.

"But, how do you know about it?" asked the Empress.

"I just know," said Keiko. "I remember it." Suddenly, Keiko's eyes grew wide, and she did a long gasp, and the dress slid from her hands to the floor. "And I

remember the future too!" she cried. "My sisters and my mother and Aku, and the battle! I remember! I remember!"

The Empress's eyes filled with tears as she came to the realization.

"But how did- you came back to us!" she said joyfully.

"Yes," said Ashi. "I am Ashi, and now I remember, it's all coming back to me."

The Empress gathered her in a hug and held her close.

"It's a miracle," she said. "You came back to us!" She headed for the door. "Come, we have to tell Jack who you are!"

"No," said Ashi, grabbing the Empress's wrist. "Don't tell him."

"What? Why?" asked the Empress.

"Because I want to tell him myself, at my own time, please," said Ashi.

The Empress looked in her eyes. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes," said Ashi.

The Empress sighed, then she leaned back against the wall. She didn't know what to think! Or what to do. She secretly pinched herself, but she didn't wake up, so

she wasn't dreaming.

"Okay, I promise I won't tell him," said the Empress. "For all I know, you're still Keiko."

"Good," said Ashi with a smile.

They hugged again, then the Empress and "Keiko" went along their merry way.

* * *

Jack taught Keiko how to play chess. When he had asked her one day if she knew how to play, Keiko said that sadly, she didn't, so Jack taught her. Now, there they sat

in the library, playing against each other, and Keiko was winning.

"Very good," said Jack with a chuckle. "You learn fast!"

"Indeed," said Keiko. She moved another piece.

The Empress stopped by the door of the library to watch them play. She smiled as she did. It had been three days since Keiko had revealed herself to her as Ashi, and

the Empress's mind was still reeling at the fact that she had come back from the dead. The Empress wondered when Ashi would tell him. Soon, she hoped. This was

the greatest thing to ever happen.

"You win!" said Jack, from the library, and Keiko laughed. Jack looked up at her, and there it was again, that warm, natural, cozy feeling he had felt before when he

stood on the balcony with her watching the sunrise. Jack laughed too, then he cleared the board.

"Would you like to play again?" he asked.

"Yes, please!" said Keiko excitedly.

And so they did.

One hot, humid, day in July, a severe thunderstorm arrived. Torrents of rain, wind, thunder, and flashes of lightning scared young children, and it was hard to

concentrate and get anything done when the constant threat of wind possibly breaking a window, tearing something off your house, or ruining your crops. Keiko

admitted that she was a bit scared, but they all reassured her everything would be alright. After the storm, they went outside the next morning to see if there was

any significant damage.

"The garden is a mess," said the Empress, placing a hand over her chest.

Dirt was everywhere, some of the pots that held the plants were overturned, broken, or just simply lying everywhere. Jack's favorite white flowers where his ladybug

friend used to sit were pulled up from the ground and lying a strewn. Jack kneeled down and held them in his hand, just looking at them.

"Such pretty flowers," said Keiko, kneeling down next to him. "Such a shame they were destroyed."

"Well," Jack sighed. "It happens. What can we do, except, look forward and start afresh?" He smiled at her.

They helped the servants get the garden cleaned up, luckily all the other foliage was fine, such as the squash, pumpkins, turnips, radishes, but a lot of the flowers

and pots were damaged. After they helped with the garden, they went inside to get cleaned up. Already as usual, the day was becoming very hot, and Keiko said that

she felt like some ice to crunch from the ice house. So the servants got them some ice from the ice house, chopped some ice into slivers, and handed it to Keiko.

Then Jack said he felt like some ice to crunch too, so together, they stood on the balcony, overlooking the sun, sky, mountains, talking and laughing while crunching

on pieces of ice. The Empress and the Emperor were happy to see their happy in the presence of another woman. They knew that it had not been easy these past

years for him, and was that he was enjoying himself.

"Our son is getting along so well with Keiko," said the Emperor.

"Yes, he is," said the Empress. "Good for him, and good for her too I believe. There's no telling what the girl's been through." The Empress thought about who Keiko

really was. _She's been through a lot, and then some_ , the Empress thought to herself. Surely Ashi couldn't wait forever to tell him.

"Are you alright dear?" the Emperor asked, noticing her blank stare.

"Me? Oh, yes, quite alright," said the Empress. "Quite alright indeed."


	6. Mixed Emotions

_Jack was walking down the oceanfront with Ashi, hand in hand. The night was beautiful, the moon was full, and everything was just perfect. Ashi looked at Jack and_

 _smiled at him, and he smiled back at her, for when she was happy, he was happy. Really, everything was just perfect, in that moment, no pain, no sorrow, just bliss_

 _and joy._

" _I love you, Jack," said Ashi turning to face him._

" _I love you too Ashi," said Jack as he held her hands._

 _They leaned forward to kiss, when something grabbed Ashi by her ankles, and yanked her to the floor._

" _Ashi!" Jack cried._

 _Ashi screamed as she was being pulled into the water by a black figure. She struggled to get free and then the being pulled her into the water. Jack jumped in after_

 _her, swimming down to reach her, and grabbed her hand. But slowly, he was losing grip, and then Ashi was gone, slowly sinking down to the depths of the dark_

 _water._

" _Ashi!" Jack cried. It couldn't be possible, she couldn't be gone!_

 _Jack came out of the water and fell on his knees in anguish. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him._

" _Jack, why are you crying?"_

 _He turned around to see Ashi safe and sound, not a scratch or a drop of water on her._

" _But, but, I saw you, that thing…" Jack couldn't finish._

" _I'm fine," said Ashi hugging him. "Everything's perfectly fine and okay."_

* * *

Jack woke up breathing hard, and sweating. Jack got out of bed, splashed water on his face and rubbed his while looking in the mirror. What a dream! First, it was a

regular dream, then it turned into a nightmare, then back into a happy ending. Too bad it was just a dream, thought Jack. For the good parts that is. Jack got

dressed, and then went along to start his day.

Jack felt a little uneasy about his dream, but he managed to push it into the back of his mind and be happy for his mother and father, and Keiko. Later after breakfast

and getting some work done, Jack and Keiko decided to play another round of chess. As they were playing, Keiko asked Jack a random question.

"Have you ever been in love?" she asked.

Jack sat up in his seat, closed his eyes and sighed before replying. "Yes," he said.

"Oh," said Keiko. "Well, I know this may be personal, but what was her name and what was she like?"

Jack sighed again as a smile crept on his face as he remembered. "She was the sweetest, kind, caring, selfless, beautiful person I'd ever met. You could try, but you

could never forget who she was. She saved me from hopelessness, and she sacrificed her life to help me achieve my goal, and so forever I will keep her close to my

heart."

"Wow," said Keiko, smiling. "Tell me more."

And so then, Jack told the story of Ashi, how he came to meet her, how they fell in love. Keiko listened to all it, nodding and smiling, but never interrupting. And Jack

briefly touched his battle with Aku, and what the demon had done to him and how he spent fifty years in the future.

"I'm so glad Aku is gone as well," said Keiko. "I can't imagine what the world would have turned into if you hadn't defeated him. I'm sorry you had to lose your Ashi, I

can only imagine how what a great person she was."

Jack looked at her with a sad smile on his face. "What can we do, but to continue to live life as we know it?"

Keiko nodded. "I understand. And I'm so happy to be a great friend to you and your family."

"Me too," said Jack.

Then, Keiko did something that surprised Jack. She got up, walked around from the table, and hugged Jack. Jack just sat there for a few seconds, not knowing what

to say or do. Then, he finally put his arms around Keiko and hugged her back.

"Now, how about a game of chess? I'm getting very good you know," said Keiko.

Jack smiled. "Let's go," he said.

* * *

The next day, Jack knocked on the door of his father's study.

"Come in!" said the Emperor.

Jack slid open the door and walked in, then shut it behind him.

"Hello Father," said Jack.

"Hello my son, is there anything I can help you with today?" the Emperor asked, turning away from his desk.

"Well, sort of," said Jack, taking a seat.

"Are you upset about anything?" asked the Emperor.

"Oh no, no, I'm good," said Jack. "This is something else." He sighed before speaking. "Father, do you think I could ever love again, seeing after all that's happened?"

"Hm," said the Emperor. "A good question. But my question to you is, do _you_ think you could love again?"

"Well, I suppose I could," said Jack. "But will I, is the question."

"Indeed," said the Emperor. "Could you? Yes. Will you? That is up for fate and destiny to play out. Nobody can predict the future, but we can prepare for it. And

sometimes, your destiny can be played out by your own hand. The decisions you make, and the actions that follow are a reflection of who you are. You cannot hide

from yourself."

"Yes," said Jack. "I remember the words you told when I was young. Then I guess this leads me to my next question. What do you think about Keiko?"

"What do I think about her? She's a very nice, sweet, caring, and an enjoyable person to be around, I enjoy having her here, and so does your mother and everyone

here in the castle," said the Emperor.

"Well, I guess what I meant to say is…" Jack trailed off and then began again. "What I meant to say is, what do you think of Keiko and I together?" he said this

nervously.

"Well," began the Emperor. "I think you two nicely accompany each other, you seem happy, she's happy, and she loves to hear your stories, and I hear she's already

beaten you twice at chess." He smiled.

Jack chuckled. "Yes," he said.

"So, did something happen between you two? Is that why you came to ask me these questions?" the Emperor asked.

"No, I mean yes, well," Jack began. "While we were playing chess yesterday, she asked me if I had ever been in love before, and then, I told her the story of Ashi,

and how I traveled to the future and defeated Aku."

"What did she say after you finished the story?" the Emperor asked.

"She said she was sorry I had suffered so much, and then she said that she was thankful that I, you, Mother, and everyone here in the castle had been so nice to

her," said Jack. "And then, after that, she got up and gave me a hug."

"And, I suppose her giving you a hug made you feel some sort of way?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes," said Jack. "Nothing bad, just, I don't know, it feels comforting and familiar."

"Maybe, Keiko shares certain personality traits that Ashi had," said the Emperor.

"That is true," said Jack. "Thank you for the talk Father."

"You are welcome my son," said the Emperor with a smile.

Jack smiled, bowed to his father, then left the room.

* * *

A few days later, Jack and Keiko had just walked inside from another run of horseback riding on Hirito. They were on their way to getting some water to drink, when

the Emperor and Empress came down the hallway towards them.

"I've got some news!" said the Empress excitedly.

"What's that?" asked Jack.

"We received a letter from your Aunt Kumiko and your uncle Eishun in Hakone, they're coming for a little summer visit!" said the Empress. "And of course son, you

remember your cousins, Haruhi and Itaru?"

"Oh, yes," said Jack, then he did a little chuckle. Haruhi was a little know it all in the family, and Itaru was the goofball of the family. The last time Jack saw them was

a few months before he was sent around the world to go train. It seemed Haruhi couldn't go one day without dropping some science fact or other kind of fact. And

Itaru was so silly he could often be annoying. They had planned to come to his wedding, but Aunt Kumiko and Uncle Eishun had only come, Haruhi and Itaru were

sick at home that day. What Haruhi and Itaru looked like and acted like now, Jack couldn't wait to see.

"This is great, when will they be here?" asked Jack.

"Two weeks from now," said the Emperor. "Aunt Kumiko and Uncle Eishun always ask about you, and we've told them we've taken on a new member to the family

ourselves, so they can't wait to see you Keiko."

Keiko smiled. "I'm sure it'll be grand."


	7. A Family Visit

Two weeks passed, and the time had come for Aunt Kumiko, Uncle Eishun, and Haruhi and Itaru to come visit.

"I see them, they're coming up the drive!" said the Empress excitedly. She fixed her hair in the mirror, then, her, the Emperor, Jack, and Keiko walked outside to the

very front where the guards and servants stood. The carriage stopped at the entrance, and the door opened. First, out came Uncle Eishun, his physical appearance

very similar to the Emperor. His face lit up as he exited, and the two brothers greeted each other.

"Long time no see!" said Eishun in a deep voice.

"Indeed, but I must say, you look well!" said the Emperor.

"You can say that again!" said Eishun. They chuckled. Then Eishun said hello to Jack and the Empress.

"How is the fairest lady in all the land and the greatest hero that ever lived doing thus far?" asked Eishun.

"Oh, now," said the Empress with a wave of her hand, feeling flattered.

"As well as can be expected," said Jack with a wide smile.

Lastly, he turned to Keiko.

"And you must be Keiko, what a pretty name for a pretty girl!" said Eishun bowing to her.

"Thank you so much, it pleases me to be in your presence," said Keiko smiling and returning the bow.

Next, out came Aunt Kumiko, who was dressed fancily in an orange kimono with yellow leaves all around the gown, and she was wearing a golden yellow obi around

her waist.

"Hello, look at you all!" she exclaimed excitedly, giving each one of them a hug, including Keiko. "And look at you, pretty thing! Good to see you're being well taken

care of by the family."

"Thank you," said Keiko.

Lastly, out came Haruhi and Itaru. Both were well dressed, but looked comfortable. But Jack was a bit taken aback on how they looked. Haruhi and Itaru had turned

into a woman and man. Haruhi was two years older than Itaru, so she had to be about twenty, almost as old as Jack had been when he had been sent to the future,

and Itaru had to be about eighteen. When it came to time and numbers, Jack felt like he didn't want to think about it.

"Hello, _Jack_!" said Itaru calling him by his future name and walking up to him and slapping him on the back. "How ya doin'?" He looked at Keiko, then whispered into

Jack's ear; "You need to wife her up!"

"I heard that!" said Haruhi grabbing Itaru's arm. "You shouldn't tease him so about that subject. You know they say, even mentioning one word can trigger the brain

back into that moment."

Jack sighed, but smiled. His cousins may have grown older, but they hadn't changed. Not one bit.

* * *

Once the family greeted each other, they all settled in the sitting room and the servants brought them tea.

"I hope the drive was comfortable," said the Emperor.

"Yes, quite comfortable," said Eishun. "Although much time was spent packing." He looked over at Kumiko with a slight smile.

"There's nothing wrong with a lady always looking her best," said Kumiko smoothing down her hair. "I should say so for a man! Look at your brother, he always looks

his best!" she gestured towards the Emperor.

"Well of course he always has to look his best, he's the Emperor and has to set an example for his family and kingdom!" said Eishun sipping his tea.

"You know what I mean," said Kumiko also taking a sip.

The Emperor chuckled. "Well, nonetheless, I'm glad to see everything went smoothly. The heat has been unpredictable this summer, one day it feels rather nice, other

days feels like stepping outside into an oven."

"Indeed, I can't stand it when my face gets all sweaty. Sometimes when I put on makeup, the sweat from my face messes it up!" said Haruhi.

"And sweat stains appear under my arms!" put in Itaru.

"Gross, no one wants to hear that!" said Haruhi.

"Alright you two," said Kumiko.

"So, Keiko, how do you like living here in the palace?" asked Eishun.

"I like it very much," said Keiko. "Everyone here has been so kind to me."

"That's very good to hear," said Eishun. "What brought you hear?"

Keiko lowered her head to the floor and bit her lip.

"What's wrong?" asked Eishun, looking concerned.

"Keiko, has….had it rough in life," said the Emperor. "She went through quite the traumatic experience over some years of her life, and she was fortunate enough to

finally manage to escape."

"You were kidnapped?" Itaru asked Keiko.

Keiko nodded yes.

"That's terrible," said Haruhi.

"I can't imagine the horrible things you must have been through," said Kumiko grabbing Keiko's hand. "You're in good hands now my dear."

"Now I feel terrible for even asking the question," said Eishun.

"It's okay," said Keiko smiling at him. "Truly I am."

"You're sweet," said Eishun. "One thing I can say for sure, is that you don't look like your troubles, and that's good."

"Yeah, you should see Mr. Takahashi, the clothes mender back at home, he's old but he looks like he's been through hell and back," said Itaru.

"Itaru!" Scolded Kumiko. "Now that wasn't a very nice, or a grownup thing to say!"

"I'm being honest like you always tell me to Mother," said Itaru with a shrug.

Kumiko sighed heavily. "Drink your tea," she said.

* * *

That night for dinner, they had a great dinner of Umeboshi Ochazuke, chicken teriyaki, and fried tempura.

"This is really good!" said Haruhi. "The people in this palace know how to cook!"

"I'll be sure to let the cooks know you said that," said the Emperor with a smile.

"I can't remember the last time I had Umeboshi Ochazuke," said Itaru.

"It's been some time," said Kumiko.

"So," began Jack. "Haruhi and Itaru, what have you two been up to this summer?"

"Not much," said Haruhi. "Just focusing on my studies."

"She has a boyfriend," said Itaru with a smile.

"No, he's not, he's just a good friend," said Haruhi waving her hand as she stirred her chopsticks in her bowl.

"Oh, really?" asked Itaru, leaning closer to his sister with a crafty smile on his face. "Is he now?"

"Yes!" said Haruhi, shifting her seat away in annoyance.

"Then I declare I must be mistaken with another young man," said Itaru. "Because Arinobu Sato looks to me like he's your boyfriend."

"Be quiet!" said Haruhi. "What about Koharu Nishimura?" she smiled at her brother.

Itaru blushed and went back to eating his food.

Jack laughed. "It's good to see you two doing great things in life. The last time I saw you two, you were nothing but children."

"This one still is a child," said Haruhi pointing her chopsticks at Itaru.

Jack, and Keiko, who had been listening to the conversation, laughed.

"Hey, I am not a child. I'm just not like other adults. I consider myself an open-minded and easy person, like Father," said Itaru closing his eyes and folding his arms.

"It's you who needs to stop being like a shadow on the wall where anyone goes!"

"Speak for yourself," said Haruhi taking a bite of food.

Jack and Keiko laughed again.

"You two are certainly having an awful good time!" said Kumiko looking at the four of them. "I can only wonder what you all are talking about."

"Oh, nothing, just telling him over here to be more considerate when talking about other people," said Haruhi pointing at Itaru.

"I see. Well, it's good to see you all getting along after all these years," said Kumiko.

After dinner, they sat around talking about everything, life, economy, the kingdom, until bedtime. The following day after a good breakfast, Jack showed Itaru and

Haruhi around, Keiko walking with them.

"You know, there's something about you Keiko," said Itaru as they were walking outside.

"Really?" said Keiki, raising her eyebrows in response.

"Yes, I don't know why, but you seem familiar," said Itaru.

"Maybe it's just my personality," said Keiko. "Do I remind you of the girl you like back at home?"

Haruhi snickered, and Itaru said, "a little," before looking down shyly.

"Well, nothing wrong with that," said Keiko.

"Do you know I'm about as good as you when it comes to horse-back riding, and fencing?" asked Itaru to Jack, changing the subject.

"Oh really?" said Jack looking back at him. "You've been practicing?"

"Yes," said Itaru. "As much as I can. I think I could beat you!"

"Well, let us go to the training hall to test that theory," said Jack with a smile.

"Now?" asked Itaru, his expression slightly changing.

"Yes, now," said Jack.

"Um, well….okay," said Itaru.

"This should be fun," said Haruhi whispering to Keiko.

In the training hall, Jack chose a sword, and Itaru chose his. Keiko and Haruhi stood on the sidelines, watching.

"Ready?" asked Jack.

"Yes," said Itaru.

The men bowed to each other, then their battle again. Itaru was fast, and he certainly was skilled, but Jack was faster, soon Itaru was sweaty and breathing hard,

pushing hard against Jack.

"I'm impressed, but you need to be swifter than that!" said Jack, pushing against him.

Itaru tried his best to beat Jack, but in the end, he just couldn't do it. when he least expected it, the sword flew out of his hands and fell down on the floor with him,

and Jack leaned over him, smiling, and pointing his sword down at him.

"Alright, you win," said Itaru sadly.

"Don't look so heartless, you did a fantastic job!" said Jack placing a hand on his shoulder. "A little more practice, and you _will_ be as good as me, maybe even better."

"You mean it?" asked Itaru.

"I mean it," said Jack.

Itaru smiled.

* * *

Over the course of the week, Jack and his parents, Keiko, his cousins, and Aunt and Uncle, had fun, laughing, talking, enjoying the weather, even enjoying things

around the village. One night, there were fireflies, and Jack, Haruhi, Itaru, and Keiko went out to go catch fireflies. They set them free later on. They got shaved

sweet ice from the marketplace and talked and laughed as they walked. Jack's aunt, uncle, and cousins had only planned to stay about a week, but Kumiko said,

"What's two more days going to hurt?" So, they ended up staying nine days. On the last day, they all stayed up later than usual, talking, because it was the last night

they would have together. They went to bed at almost one in the morning. Directly after breakfast the next day, they gathered up all their belongings, put them in the

carriage, ready to go.

"Thank you for this wonderful time, it was good to see all of you again, and I enjoyed meeting you Keiko," said Eishun, giving them all a tight, heartfelt hug.

"Yes, thank you, I miss having times like these," said Kumiko, giving all of them a heartfelt hug as well.

Lastly were the cousins, and Jack grabbed both of them in a playful hug in both arms.

"Behave yourselves, listen well, and work hard," said Jack.

"We will," said Haruhi.

"Haruhi, keep studying and learning science, I'm sure the young man back at home who's got his eye on you is going to feel very lucky to have such a smart woman

like you, beautiful looks and all," said Jack. Then he turned to Itaru. "You've become quite a man, but you must learn to think before you speak. Try to do that, and

everything else will fall into place. Who knows, maybe the woman you've got your eyes on will turn to your direction."

"We understand," said Itaru.

"Good," said Jack. He released his cousins, and then they, along with Aunt Kumiko and Uncle Eishun got into the carriage.

"See you soon!" cried Kumiko as they headed off down the drive.

"We'll miss you!" said Eishun.

"Bye!" said Itaru.

"Good luck to you all!" said Haruhi.

"Have a safe trip!" shouted the Empress as they all waved goodbye.

The carriage disappeared down the drive, and they all went inside, and the door closed behind them.

 **I know this chapter seemed a bit fast paced, but I just wanted to include some sort of fun, comedy break in between this sort of serious story. Next**

 **chapter should be the one everyone is waiting for…**


	8. Jack Learns The Truth

After the family visit, life and routine went on as usual. August was hot, with dry days and humid days, sometimes those humid days bringing severe storms.

September arrived, and days began to get mild, not hot, but not warm either, a sure sign the weather was changing. Then October, the weather slowly got cool, and

the days got shorter, and with it, came the beautiful bounty of fall, colors of the changing tree's stretching out as far as the eye could see. Jack and Keiko, sometimes

his parents would stand there, amazed, wondering how nature could ever do such a thing. And as the weather got cooler, it was almost time for harvest.

"Everything feels so cozy now," said Keiko. "Fall feels nice."

"It sure is," said Jack.

"I really do appreciate nature," said Keiko.

"Me too," said Jack. He turned to look to his left, and he didn't realize how close he was standing next to Keiko, and for some reason, he felt no need to move away

and give space. Jack wondered if she knew how close they were standing next to each other. In fact, they were so close to each other that they were in kissing range.

If she turned her head to face him right now he was sure their lips would meet. Suddenly Jack felt anxious.

"It's starting to feel chilly out here, do you want to go in for a cup of tea?" asked Jack.

"Sure," said Keiko with a smile. And so, inside the house they went.

 _What's the matter with you?_ Jack's inner voice said. _Clearly you have feelings for her that go beyond friendship, or are you that sworn to never love again?_

Jack shook his head. It wasn't that, it was just…

 _It's just what? Are you afraid you'll be forgetting everything you had in the future? Are you afraid things won't be the same as they used to be? Are you afraid_

 _of….making a mistake?_

"No," said Jack aloud. Although, deep down, he was. It was true, he hadn't moved on completely from the hurt, and the physical and emotional trauma from

everything, and even though he had found peace, being back home, and with the world restored, he still felt some sort of longing.

* * *

The days got colder still, but yet there was no frost. November arrived. At last the people began their harvest, digging up the turnips, radishes, squashes, cutting

pumpkins from stems. Days were spent harvesting, for about a week or so, then another week after it was spent planting seeds for next season. Jack and his family

helped some. Keiko laughed, to see herself, Jack, and the Emperor and Empress get dirty. While they were still harvesting and planting seeds, frost came. It covered

everything, making it all appear it wore a silver glittering coat. The sun came out every morning and melted the frost, but it was still freezing cold throughout the

days of November.

"Won't be long before winter," said the Emperor.

"I hope all the villagers have enough food and fire wood," said the Empress.

On the last day of November, harvest and planting for next year was complete. As the weather would have it, it was very cold, a chilled to the bone cold, and the wind

was blowing, making it feel even colder. That night, Jack, Keiko, the Emperor, and the Empress sat in the library near the fireplace, sitting comfortably by the fire,

cups of spice tea in their hands.

"It feels so nice down here," said Jack.

"Nice and cozy, could fall asleep right here," said the Empress.

"Why don't we do just that?" suggested the Emperor. "Sleep down here for the night, like a camp."

"Sounds like a great idea to me," said Jack.

The servants brought them futons and laid them down next to the fireplace. Then, they refreshed their cups of tea. Once they were nice and settled again, they

began to talk.

"Tell me another story please Jack," said Keiko. "It doesn't have to be a long one."

"Hm," said Jack. "It might be a bit hard for me to tell it, but I'll try my best."

"It's okay," said Keiko.

"It was some time after Ashi and I had arrived back here in the past and I had completed my mission," began Jack. "Ashi wanted to explore everything, see and do

everything she had never been able to experience before, for she had a rough upbringing. Me, I bought her gifts, things she had never experienced before in her life.

One day, the royal jeweler came to visit, and I thought of an idea to buy Ashi some for her to wear, so I-"

"You bought her a diamond necklace with a silver ribbon," said Keiko with a smile.

Jack just froze. "How do you know that?" Jack asked, in shock. He looked at his parents.

"I just do," said Keiko smiling bigger.

"But… I never told you any of that, we never told you any of that! So how could you…" Jack couldn't finish.

"I just know it," said Keiko. "You bought her a diamond necklace, and then you kissed her and told her that even with the precious jewel around her neck, she was

still the greatest gift you could ever have."

Jack just there, his eyes big as a full moon, his mouth open in shock, his mind comprehending.

The Emperor, in just as much shock as Jack was, turned to look at the Empress, who was smiling and shook her head up and down.

Jack's voice was trembling, as he finally managed to speak.

"Is it really you?" he asked.

"Yes," said Ashi. "I am Ashi."

Jack closed his eyes as the tears began to fall, his being overwhelmed with emotion.

"It really is you," said Jack. "You came back." Then, he reached for her, and took her into his arms, feeling like he could never let go.

"Ashi," said Jack, the tears of joy flowing.

"Jack," said Ashi, crying just the same.

Up in the heavens, the gods were watching.

"Ashi has finally revealed herself to the samurai," said Odin.

"And he is filled with ultimate joy and happiness," said Vishnu.

"She can't stay forever in that body though," said Ra.

And so, on the cold late November night, a samurai reunited with his beloved he once thought was gone forever.

 **Short but sweet. As some things should be. I hope to be creating some heartfelt, tender, Jashi moments in the next chapters. Still trying to think on**

 **how I will end this story though. I hope you all enjoyed Ashi's reveal to Jack though!**


	9. Ashi's Recap

Ashi was happy that everything had played out accordingly. However, from the time she had disappeared in Jack's arms, she had not expected the moments that had

happened so far, to happen. Ashi remembered telling jack what was happening to her, and then she was gone, nothing. Nothing still for a long time, and then Ashi

remembered floating, but floating where she was not certain. She didn't feel real, as time and space moved around her. She just remembered that she was Ashi, and

that she loved Jack, his family, and his people, nothing else. She knew she had once had a family, but she couldn't recall what kind of life she had with the people.

And so, she floated along, until she had found herself on Earth. Ashi could see sentient beings, like herself, except they had arms and legs, in which she did not have

yet. But what they did have, was the same embodied, glowing, spirit that Ashi herself was. It rested in the core of these people, who could talk and make themselves

known, and Ashi could not. Ashi wanted to be one of these people. She had a name, and now she wanted to be somebody. So she floated along, until she saw an

unsuspecting human, a small girl child, picking meadows in a field. So Ashi tried to embody herself within the child, and it wouldn't work, she couldn't connect her

sentient being with the child's mind. So Ashi left the child, and floated on, hoping to find someone else. She floated for a long time, until she came upon a woman,

middle-aged, working in a garden, so Ashi took the chance, and she tried that woman, and like the child, it didn't work. Ashi exited once more, disappointed. How

was she going to get to Jack? She needed to let him know, that she was still here with him, not gone forever, as he and everyone else thought.

Ashi floated on and on, this time, for a very long time, and then Ashi was tired of floating. Then at long last, she came to some woods, and she saw a young woman,

wearing a purple kimono, hurrying along through the woods. The woman was dirty, her clothes were dirty and ripped, and she was crying. Ashi was curious to as why

the woman acted in such a way, what happened to her, and wanted to comfort her, and she moved towards the woman, but then she found herself entering the

woman's body, and to her surprise, her being was able to connect with the woman's being. Perhaps it was because this woman's brain was more sensitive and

susceptible. The woman's thoughts became Ashi's thoughts, her movements became Ashi's movements, and so forth. Now, she had to learn how to formulate words

and communicate. Ashi didn't know what had happened to the woman whose body she had taken over, but maybe it was by fate that she did. Perhaps the woman

was running from something, running to escape something.

* * *

So Ashi moved forward in the young woman's body, her steps uneasy and jumbled, for she had not had a body in a long time, and had forgotten to use one. She

walked through the unfamiliar forest, searching for a place she did find familiar. As it got dark, Ashi could not see where she was going. She tripped over things in the

night, got even more dirty, scratched, got wet from water, but she was determined to find Jack. For three days and three nights she did this, drinking water wherever

she could find it, and eating berries. At last, Ashi was very tired, and she laid down to rest near a tree, sad, and wondering if she would ever reach her destination.

When Ashi opened her eyes again, she found herself staring into the eyes of people she thought she'd never see again. The Empress, the Emperor, and Jack were all

there. Ashi was happy to see all of them again, her family. When the Empress asked Ashi what happened to her, Ashi couldn't answer. She couldn't seem to be able to

form words. She was in such a state of happiness and joy of seeing them again, she wasn't sure if she could speak, all the words would come out wrong! But then,

Ashi had said she was hungry, and the Empress had given her cookies. Ashi had not had food for so long, she had forgotten what food was, and what it had tasted

like, so she ate more and more cookies until the Empress told her the basket was empty. Then they helped her up from the ground, and Ashi couldn't help herself,

she clung herself to Jack, she had missed him so much. Soon they would spend time together, and they would get close and be in love again, like in the old days. Ashi

didn't know how long she was going to stay in this body, but she hoped she could stay in long enough to let Jack realize who she was. She hoped that time would let

Jack know. She couldn't just come out and say, "here I am, it's me Ashi, I'm alive." He wouldn't believe her. She would let him know slowly over time, all of them.

And they headed back to the palace, where she got thirsty and asked for some water. She drank cup after cup, until finally she was satisfied. Afterwards, they talked

to her. They asked her what her name was, and she told them she was Keiko. She had thought of the name up, while she was drinking the water. It meant, "blessed

child", and Ashi thought that the woman was blessed that she had ran away from whatever it was that she was running from, and Ashi was blessed that she had

found Jack again, so, her name was Keiko. That was sort of the truth, wasn't it? This body was now hers, at least for a little while. Then the Empress and Emperor

asked her where she came from, and Ashi could not remember. Ashi was tired then, and she wanted to rest. So they put her in bed and let her rest. She slept for a

long time, and when she woke up, she was hungry and thirsty again. After she ate, she fell asleep again. When she woke up again, it was day time, but there was

rain. Soon, a servant woman came in and helped her wash and get dressed. Ashi was happy to be clean and in new clothes. She left her room, where she saw Jack

and was happy to see him. He greeted her, and she greeted him, and then she had grabbed his hand and had him follow her downstairs, like she had did in the old

days. He was surprised, yet amused at the same time. They ate breakfast, and afterwards they talked and then the Empress and Emperor asked her again where she

came from, and Ashi could not remember. She did not know of the house where she came in the woman's body, nor of the place she was in when she was just

floating. Ashi told them she couldn't remember anything, yet she remembered everything and nothing. And she saw that they were all confused by that. But Ashi

hoped in time they would understand. She turned her attention to Jack, and made him tell stories about his life, where he had been and what he had done, and she

could tell he was a little uneasy about some of the things he told. Days passed, and Jack appeared to grow more comfortable around her, showing her around,

showing her the books he liked to read, showing her his horse, his favorite things about nature, and so on. One day, nearly three weeks since she had been there,

Ashi had gone into Jack's room, and she had found her old wedding shiromuku. In a box, that was buried deep under other boxes. Ashi didn't know why she had felt

the need to go in Jack's room to look for it there, but she did, and she had found it. Then the Empress had caught her in jack's room and asked her what she was

doing with and how she had found the shiromuku. And so then Ashi told the Empress the truth. She told her that she knew about the dress and the wedding, all of it,

and Jack's journey to the future. It had all come back to her. The Empress was so shocked and overwhelmed she didn't know what to say, all she could do was hug

Ashi, and was glad that now she could remember and that she was back. Then Ashi had told her not to tell Jack who she was, not yet, she needed more time, to let

him know, in her own way. So the Empress promised to keep silent and not tell anyone. And so Ashi went along, as Keiko, having fun, spending time with the family,

enjoying her stay, and listening to Jack's stories and adventures. Then fall came, and the leaves fell, and they had fun, playing in the leaves. And with each passing

day, Ashi remembered more and more. The more Ashi remembered, the closer Jack grew to her. Then, now, this one, cold, dark night, where they were camping out

in the library, Jack was telling "Keiko" a story about some of the things he and Ashi first did when they returned to the past. Ashi told Jack she remembered that he

gave her a diamond necklace, with the silver ribbon. She told him of the words he said to her after she received her gift. And Jack was bewildered on how she could

have known such a thing. And then Jack saw the look on his mother's face, and then it clicked, and Jack had asked, was it really her? And then Ashi had said the

words, the knowing words that melted Jack's heart, made his eyes fill with tears, and could do nothing but hold his beloved Ashi close, who was back from the dead.

And now here Ashi was, her mission was accomplished, she had made herself known to him, Jack was hers, and she was Jack's. Outside, the dead leaves whipped in

the wind on the ground, and the full moon illuminated the bare branches of the trees.


	10. Limited Time

The early morning sun gave rise to a brand new day, and with all the possibilities that came with it. While the outside was cold and frosty, inside the palace, was

warm and cozy, and filled with love. Jack opened his eyes and turned to see his love sleeping next to him. His beautiful, beloved Ashi. She was back, and this time, it

wasn't just a dream. She was really real and here, and he hoped she was never going away again. Jack sighed happily and turned on his back to look at the ceiling.

Today was going to be a great day, freezing weather and all. Ashi opened her eyes and looked over at Jack.

"Hello," she said.

Jack turned over to look at her. "Hello," he said, smiling happily.

The two wrapped their arms around each other.

"I'm so glad it's really you," said Jack, caressing her face, nose, and lips with his thumb.

"I'm so glad I'm really me too," said Ashi. They both laughed, then finally kissed, the moment they had both been waiting for a long time.

A little while later, the sun came up and the light shined in through the window of the library. The Emperor and Empress woke up and yawned and stretched as they

sat up on their futons.

"Good morning everyone," said the Emperor.

"Good morning," said Jack.

"I hope everyone slept well sleeping down here for a change," said the Empress.

"I slept like a rock," said the Emperor.

"So did I," said Ashi. She leaned into Jack's arms, and he placed them around her.

"Come, let's leave them alone," said the Empress, grabbing her husband's hand, and walking towards the door. The Emperor, who still couldn't believe it all, looked

back at them, smiling, as he and his wife left the room.

Later after breakfast, they all sat in the library again.

"How did you manage to come back?" asked Jack. "You look so…..different."

So Ashi explained how she had come down in spirit form, and found the body of the woman who had escaped from her kidnappers.

"So, this isn't your real body?" asked Jack.

Ashi shook her head no. "But, it's still me," she said holding Jack's hand. "I'm here with you."

They all sat there in silence, soaking in the moment, until the Empress said, "Would you look at that!"

"What?" asked the Emperor, and they all looked toward where the Empress was looking.

Outside from the window, snow was falling, the first snow of the year.

"Wow!" said the Empress.

Quickly, they all headed to the balcony, into the ice- cold air, to see the snow falling all around them, everything beginning to look all white and pretty. Ashi stuck out

her tongue and caught a snowflake, and Jack did the same. They all laughed as they stood together, it was a glorious beautiful day, everything was just perfect. A few

hours later, it was still snowing strongly, and all of them, Jack, Ashi, the Empress, and Emperor went outside to play in the snow. They threw snowballs at each other,

made snow forts and other shapes in the snow, they slid on ice patches. Jack snuck up behind Ashi with a snowball, and then she turned around and chased after him

with a big one. They fell on top of each other, laughing and shivering from the cold. Ashi gave him a quick peck on the lips. Afterwards, they went inside to go warm

up.

* * *

Later that night, Jack searched deep into the private areas of his room and found the diamond necklace with the silver ribbon. He gave it to Ashi, who smiled when

she saw it, and gladly allowed Jack to place it around her neck.

"I've missed you so much," said Ashi, tearing up as she held Jack close.

"We all have," said the Emperor.

"As I have missed you," said Jack. He stroked her hair. "Please don't ever leave me again."

"I won't," said Ashi, even though she knew she couldn't. One day, she would have to leave again, she couldn't hold this body hostage forever, and where would she

go then? To the spirit world, she hoped, where perhaps she and her sisters would be reunited if they were there also. As the winter progressed, more snow came, and

within the days that followed was filled with nothing but happiness, fun, and joy. All that winter, Jack, Ashi, the Emperor, and Empress played in the snow, played

games, told jokes, went for walks, and sometimes doing important royal work. At night they would sit by the fireplace drinking tea, talking and laughing until

bedtime.

"Remember when we were trapped inside that giant creature and I put on the exoskeleton of an insect, and then I asked you if you liked the back fur?" Jack asked.

"Yes, and I said you looked hideous," said Ashi. She laughed, and then Jack laughed.

"I can't believe it's been seven years," said Jack. "Seven years I was without you, I don't know how I made it through the first." He laid his head on her chest to listen

to her heartbeat.

"You have hope and strength," said Ashi. "More than a lot of people."

"This is true," said Jack. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," said Ashi.

A few weeks later, they all celebrated the new year. There were lanterns and fireworks of course, and celebratory food. It was the year of the snake, meaning who

knew what mysteries and turns would behold this year. For Jack, the coming of the new year couldn't be more glorious. In fact, every day was glorious, especially

since Ashi was back. They spent the rest of new year's and days after, partying and celebrating, playing games, dressing up, they even once had cake and cookies for

dinner and then ate their actual meal for dessert. Sometimes Jack re-lived his time in the future by telling some more stories, and Ashi, who knew a lot of them, sit

and listened, remembering as well, but there were some that she didn't know as well. All the rest of that winter was cozy, joyful, and peaceful. It seemed nothing

could go wrong.

* * *

Spring came softly, like petals falling from the tree hitting the ground. The smell of cherry blossoms quickly filled the air as the tree's bloomed and the beautiful pink

colors filled the air. The grass began to grow, flower plants sprouted their green stems, and insects began to come out. Soon, the animals began to pop out from

hibernation.

"The air smells so rich and clean," said Ashi. "I love spring."

"Me too," said Jack. They were walking together. He reached over and grabbed her hand. Ashi squeezed it tight.

"Let's get married," said Jack. "For real this time."

Ashi bit her lip. "We can't," she said, in a voice full of sadness.

Jack widened his eyes. "What? Why not?" he asked.

"I'd love to, from the bottom of my heart, but… this isn't my real body, remember? Things would be different if it was, but it's not," said Ashi. She swallowed back

sadness. "I won't be able to stay forever in this body much longer."

"But… you can't leave me," said Jack, already near tears. "I've already lost you once."

"But I won't be leaving you," said Ashi. "I'm alive and always will be, not just in your memory, but in the form of spirit as well."

"I love you so much," said Jack, pulling her close. "I don't want you to go."

"I don't want to go either," said Ashi. "I thought I was gone the day I first faded seven years ago, never to see you and your family again, yet I'm here but….I just

can't stay forever."

Jack just looked at her, unable to say anything.

"But I will stay as long as I can," Ashi said, smiling.

 **Yep, so not much left of this story to go. Two more chapters or so, and then it'll be done. Thank you all that's followed, viewed, and reviewed so far.**

 **My next fanfic will be another Samurai Jack one, only this one will be about the little blue emoji family we saw in episode one. I thought of a little**

 **backstory for them and decided to write their story. I'm working on getting it done as soon as possible, but not too soon, don't want to rush a story.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**


	11. Always In Your Heart

As the spring carried on, things fell into a period of peace and meditation. Jack didn't know what to think, after what Ashi told him. Why didn't he think of it before? If only

things weren't so difficult. Jack didn't want Ashi to leave him again, and Ashi didn't want to leave either. But this body wasn't hers, therefore, she couldn't stay forever. And

Jack understood. He knew Ashi probably wouldn't have been able to make her appearance known if she had just come in ghost form. But either way, he still didn't want her to

leave.

* * *

One day, Jack and Ashi were sitting in the library by themselves, talking. The windows were open, and the sun was shining bright outside signaling the beautiful spring day. A

small breeze entered through the open window as well.

"And so then, I showed Father, and he took a rake, and tossed that snake right out of there!" said Jack. He was telling Ashi a story about when he was seven he found a huge

snake coiled up resting in the barn.

"You weren't scared were you?" asked Ashi.

"A little," said Jack. "But Father had everything under control."

"That's good," said Ashi, smiling.

Meanwhile, a servant came walking down the hallway. She had been doing a round of cleaning, and now she was walking past the library to get to the other end of the

palace.

"Don't lose hope when I'm gone," she heard Ashi say to Jack from inside the library. The servant stopped, back tracked, and became nosey to listen to their conversation.

What could she mean?

"I know, I'll try, Ashi," said Jack.

The servant widened her eyes in confusion when she heard Jack say that name. Keiko was really Ashi? Could it really be? She had to let the other servants know about this.

* * *

"Kumiko, why have you brought us all in here?" asked Akari grumpily, and some of the other servants nodded agreeably. It was warm in the kitchen, even though it was

spring, the wrath of summer wasn't too far behind. And with most of the servants all crowded in the kitchen, it was even stuffier.

"Listen, this is important! You all have to hear what I have to say. My suspicions and wonders have come true!" Kumiko said excitedly.

"What could that be?" asked Maho.

"Keiko is really Ashi!" said Kumiko.

"You have to be kidding me. You brought us in here to tell us nonsense?" said Akari beginning to walk out.

"I knew it!" said Ikumi.

"Oh, not you too!" said Akari.

"Don't tell me you've all hadn't had your suspicions!" said Imuki. "Since the first moment that girl arrived, there was something up about her!"

"And," put in another servant. "See how awfully close her and Jack have gotten to each other. It seems almost too easy."

"I'm telling you all, it's her. Keiko is Ashi!" said Akari. "I heard Jack call her Ashi in the library earlier!"

"You were spying on them?" Akari asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"Eh, well, not really spying, more like… I just happened to hear what they had to say," said Kumiko.

"Well, I'll tell you what, I believe, and you all can choose whether you want to or not," said Ikumi.

"I believe too," said Maho.

Akari still didn't seem convinced.

"Come on, we all saw Ashi fade at that wedding! You believe that, but you won't believe this?" questioned Kumiko to Akari.

"Because a little bit more proof would be beneficial," said Akari.

"You want proof? Well, let's go find them, and let's get the Emperor and Empress too!" said Kumiko. "Come on!"

And out they went.

With Kumiko leading, all the servants headed outside, where Jack and Ashi were, in the stables. They were preparing to go for a ride, since it was such a nice day. Suddenly,

Jack noticed Kumiko and the other servants walking toward them.

"Is something wrong?" Jack asked, blinking in confusion.

"Nothing, except for the fact that you and your family have been hiding an interesting secret," said Kumiko. "Isn't that right, Ashi?"

Jack and Ashi just froze. They didn't know what to think or say.

"Are you here for a reason or are you hear for another sinister purpose?" asked Kumiko asked, walking towards Ashi.

"What? No?" replied Ashi, with a little bit of fear.

"How did you do it? How did you manage to come back?" asked Akari. She walked toward Ashi, and grabbed her gently by the wrist. "You don't look like Ashi yet you carry

her personality."

"Listen! You all must listen!" cried Jack. "Ashi came back because she was spared! She loves me and I love her!"

"Are you going to marry?" asked Akari.

"We can't," said Jack.

"I see," said Akari. "Well, I'm still suspicious."

"Excuse us, we have to go!" said Jack suddenly. He flicked the reigns, and the horse took off towards the woods.

"Wait, come back!" Akira shouted. But they were gone.

* * *

Jack and Ashi rode through the woods. That was close. Seeing all the servants around him, acting like there was a terrible thing going on, made him a bit nervous. Jack

expected their suspicions, he knew they all would know. But he hadn't expected them to act like that!

"Where are we going?" asked Ashi.

"I'm not sure," said Jack. Then, he had an idea. Nearly an hour later, they arrived at the familiar spot. The soft grass at the hill, the rich, beautiful pink and red color of the

maple tree, and the poignant overlook of the sun and other tree's beyond. A soft wind was blowing.

"Here we are," said Jack.

Even though Ashi had never been here before, she knew what the place was, just by looking at the tree.

"This is a beautiful spot," said Ashi.

"It certainly is," said Jack.

"What was up with the servants back there?" asked Ashi as they climbed off the horse.

"I don't know," said Jack. They were probably going to get scolded by his father.

"Did you come here after I disappeared?" Ashi asked.

"Yes," said Jack. He moved to stand and touch the tree, and Ashi moved near him to.

"I like it here, it's pretty," said Ashi. Jack stood behind her and wrapped his arms behind her.

"If only it all could last forever," said Jack.

"Me too," said Ashi. Some things last forever, but most things come to an end someday. _But one day we all meet again, if we're lucky._ Thought Ashi.

The wind picked up a bit more, and leaves on the tree began to shake. Ashi looked up, then turned to face Jack.

"The time has come," said Ashi.

"No!" said Jack. "It can't be!"

"It is," said Ashi. "Even if I cannot be here with you physically in this Earthly, know that I will always be with you in your heart."

Jack could not control the tears that came to his eyes. Surely she could stay a little longer, couldn't she?

"Please, you must stay longer!" cried Jack.

"I cannot," said Ashi. "My time is up in this body." Ashi leaned forward to kiss Jack, the last time she would ever be able to kiss him in this life.

"I love you Jack," said Ashi. And just like that, she was gone again, within the wind and the leaves. Jack leaned against the tree and began to cry.

Later, he didn't know how much time had passed, he arrived back home. He looked tired and dirty from lying on the ground, he felt hollow and empty inside. Some of the

servants stared at him when he walked inside, but nobody said a word. He headed straight to his parents room. The Emperor and Empress, noticing Jack's upset look, stood

up surprised.

"Where is Ashi?" asked the Empress.

"Gone again," said Jack. He clenched his fists as he felt his tears come again. "She's gone again."

"Oh son," said the Emperor.

His parents took him into his arms, as Jack cried again.


	12. Remember

How could life be so unfair? Jack thought this as he lay down on his bed, head to the side looking out the window. It was a beautiful spring day, and there was a slight breeze

as usual, but Jack just wasn't sure how much he could manage to enjoy it. Ashi was gone again, and there wasn't anything he could do about it. And, it all had to go to end

so fast. If only life wasn't so difficult. So much fighting and journeying, and love, he didn't know how much love could hurt. Over seven years ago, Ashi faded, supposedly to

never be seen again. Then, she was back, to let Jack know that she was still around, that she just didn't have a physical form. But because she didn't have a permanent

physical form, she had to leave again. Jack felt the tears well up in his eyes. A single, clear drop spilled out of his eye and made a wet spot on his pillow. Not long after Ashi

disappeared again, word began to spread around that a mother and father who had been looking for their daughter for years, had finally found her. She had trouble

remembering how she had escaped and where she had come from, but she was home. Jack and his parents knew it had to be person that Ashi had possessed for a year.

* * *

The Emperor and Empress slid open the door and walked inside Jack's room. It was time for a talk. Jack was a bit surprised to see his parents sitting there on his bed. He was

so out of it, he didn't hear the door slide open nor hear them walk in.

"Son," said the Emperor.

Jack raised his head to look at his concerned mother and father.

"She's gone again," said Jack, and he slowly put his head back down on the pillow.

The Empress and Emperor exchanged worried looks. They hoped it wouldn't be a repeat of what happened seven years ago. They very concerned and worried of their son's

mental state. They could recall it like it happened yesterday. Jack had refused to let go of the wedding dress for the longest time. After Ashi's first disappearance, Jack had

just kneeled there on the walkway, head down, seemingly frozen in shock, refusing to get up and let go of the dress. It took a long time before the Emperor and Empress

could coax him to get up and come inside. It was a bad time, helping Jack through his catatonic depression.

"We know, love," said the Empress. "We are deeply upset as you are." She rubbed Jack's arm. "Just know that she is not truly gone and she is in a better place waiting,

waiting for you."

"Why couldn't she just stay?" Jack said wearily. "Why couldn't things have been different?"

"I don't know son," said the Emperor. "It can be… quite hard to understand why these things must happen and why they happen to us, but, it all doesn't have to last forever,

at least not in a bad way. We have to make the best of what we've got, not take anything for granted, and sometimes, we have to make our own happiness."

Jack didn't say anything, but sighed and continued to look out the window. He heard his father's words and understood, but he just didn't know how to respond. The Empress

and Emperor left the room, wondering what to do. The next day, they got an answer. The royal mail deliverer gave them a letter, and it was from a person they hadn't heard

from in a very long, since Jack was little. The Empress entered Jack's room where he was sitting, a half-eaten bowl of porridge sitting on the dresser next to him. At least he

was eating.

"Son, do you remember an old childhood friend you met in meadow? Her name was Akira," said the Empress.

Suddenly, Jack seemed to perk up a little. It had been so many years since he'd seen or her, how could he forget? Those big brown eyes, that gold-colored kimono, both of

them trying to catch a cricket together, him making her a paper one, and her giving him a kiss on the cheek. Of course he remembered!

"Yes, I do," said Jack.

"She's coming to see you," said the Empress. "She's been wanting to quite some time, she's been wondering how you've been."

"I see," said Jack. "When will she be here?"

"Next month," said the Empress. "I hope you will be happy to see her."

* * *

The day came when Akira arrived. It was a bright, sunny day, a little hotter than the average spring day, but nice nonetheless. Jack and his parents stood outside, watching

the carriage pull up. A few moments later, a young woman exited, dressed fashionably. Even though it had been years, Jack could tell it was her. She faced Jack and his

family and smiled.

"it's been too long, quite too long, but I'm so glad to be here," said Akira.

They brought her belongings inside, and they settled with a cup of tea.

"I do believe I would like to see the garden," said Akira. "I remember the last time I saw your garden, I greatly enjoyed what was in it, and I think I would like to see it

again."

"I will gladly take you," said Jack. The Emperor and Empress smiled, they were glad Jack seemed enthusiastic about life.

Jack and Akira headed out back into the fresh air, into the garden. The sound of water trickling that was coming from the fountain eased Jack's mind. He still felt sad and

tired, but he knew he had to put on a show for the guest. Birds tweeted and sang their songs, bee's buzzed from one colorful flower to the next, collecting pollen and nectar.

Life finds a way… and life goes on.

"These white flowers are my favorite," said Jack, walking towards the thick gypsophila and white lilac. As he did, he stopped suddenly, for another old friend was back. The

ladybug.

"What's wrong?" asked Akira.

Jack leaned forward and gently touched the shiny, red, black-spotted insect with his finger. He was sure it was the same one. He had a feeling. Everything was okay, just like

it was before. Life goes on.

"Nothing is wrong," said Jack. "Everything is perfectly okay."

For it all made sense. Perhaps this ladybug that had comforted Jack in the garden, was the same one that had visited him under the tree seven years ago. The message to

remind him to keep on living, no matter what, because everything would be okay. He had lost it again, for a second, but remembering his father's words, knowing not to take

things for granted, like a childhood friend, life was too short. Things in life don't always turn out the way we want them, but we have to make the best of what we've got.

Sometimes things weren't meant to be, and sometimes we have to fight and work hard for what we truly want, to have hope and believe, despite everything. That was the

purpose of the ladybug, and perhaps everything Jack had endured in his life, to build his testimony on belief.

"Everything is okay," said Jack again. "An old friend just reminded me so."

"Reminded you of what?" Akira asked, with a smile on her face.

"Her spirit lives on."

 **And so, that's the end of Remember. Short, sweet, bittersweet, then sweet again. I thank all of you that have followed and reviewed this story to the end.**

 **I'm sorry if it wasn't good enough, I hope to put up more better quality stories. I've just been having problems getting the gears turning lately. Stay tuned**

 **for the Emoji Family backstory I'm working on. Not sure when the first chapter of that will be up, I'm currently taking my last class of the semester and I**

 **have to stay focused if I want to get accepted in either nursing or the surgical tech program. I'm also working on my fantasy novel I want to publish and**

 **I'm happy to say that book 1 is complete. Just a few more tweaks and it's all ready to be sent off to an editor/publisher, so, wish me luck with that! Again, I**

 **thank all that have followed, liked, and reviewed this story!**


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